For its list of the most and least eco-friendly states, WalletHub used data from both government sources and independent scientific organizations, comparing all 50 on 14 factors, which were separated into two categories: environmental quality and eco-friendly behaviors. Texas ranked dead last in the former and No. 37 in the latter.

Some of the factors that kept Texas down were percentage of energy consumption from renewable sources (No. 42), air quality (No. 40) and percentage of municipal solid waste recycled (No. 35).

We can hang our hat on one factor, though: Texas ranks No. 3 in highest number of green (LEED) buildings per capita.

Vermont, Oregon, New York, Minnesota and Massachusetts comprise the top five eco-friendly states, while Alabama, Indiana and Kentucky join Texas and Louisiana in the bottom five. As you might guess, states that lean Democratic averaged a ranking of 15.9, while states that lean Republican averaged 35.9.

Good thing Earth Day Texas is coming up, because it appears we have a lot to learn.

Recycling is just one of the areas where Texas doesn't measure up to eco-friendliness.
Photo by Barbara Kuntz